Water woes have been further compounded by the caste woes emerging in the times of water scarcity.
In the parched badlands of Uttar Pradesh’s Bundelkhand, wells and ponds have dried up, rivers have shrunk miserably. Water scarcity is a way of life in this region of Uttar Pradesh – made worse this year by lack of rainfall.
Water woes have been further compounded by the caste woes emerging in the times of water scarcity.
Water tankers are being sent to upper caste settlements, conveniently sidestepping the Dalit villages.
People belonging to Dalit castes are not allowed to "even touch" functional hand pumps installed in upper caste villages.
"If they (upper caste) are in a benevolent mood, they might give us a pot full of water and nothing more than that," said Ritu Kumari of Tendura village.
According to her, Dalits in the village have to walk seven to eight kilometers to another village to fetch water from a hand pump installed in the Dalit area.
"Even there, we are not allowed to get more than one bucket because the pump is drying up," she added.
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